Sharing is for Suckers
by Working-On-Sanity
Summary: In the scorching pit of a summer day, Suneo decides that nothing would be better than a lollipop. Unfortunately, such a lollipop currently resides in Gian's mouth. Sharing is over-romanticized, anyway. Prompt result. Slight Gian/Suneo.


**Note: **So. To explain this. My best friend sent me some word prompts for fun, and I was wanting to write some Doraemon fics anyway, so this was the perfect opportunity. I chose the "sharing" prompt, but I never meant for it to turn out like this. Honestly, I'm amazed by the fact that I can see one word and mill it over in my brain until it exits in the form of a 3000 scene drabble in which Suneo chokes down a lollipop because Gian realizes what an indirect kiss is. There is no plot nor rhythm to this story because it was never intended to be anything more than a drabble consisting of a couple hundred words.

Now that I read over it, I have no idea what I was thinking. I still don't know what to rate this. I mean, they're just eating lollipops, but I may have made the situation worse than it should be.

* * *

><p>Suneo had little interest in lollipops, ordinarily. The canister on the counter at home was always full of them, in all shapes and flavors and gourmet twists. They had become something of a customary decoration, like candied flower stalks sprouting from a vase. Suneo had already picked through the sugar bouquet for the cherry lollipops which were, in his opinion, the only ones worth wasting time and tastebuds on.<p>

Today was pressing the scales for record heat. Heat shimmered off the sidewalk and rippled over rooftops. Not a leaf or dandelion sprig stirred. Clouds lay thin and smeared like chalk dust in the sky. The ambiance of cicadas rattling and rasping seemed to enclose the fenced yard like a dome of sound.

In the wavery shadow of the maple tree sprawled Nobita and Doraemon. Shizuka sat crosslegged beside the stack of old rusted pipes. Gian stretched like a lounging cat over the top pipe; one ankle rested on the knee of his other leg, and he propped his head comfortably on his folded arm. Between the fingers of his free hand, he twirled a lollipop. Sunlight angled down and splayed off the red disk, making the crusted bubbles of air inside glitter.

From his place perched on the end of the pipe, Suneo casually glanced from his feet to Gian and back. He shifted, dangling his legs over the side of the pipe to idly clack the heels of his shoes against it. The taps of rubber against steel made an interesting deep ringing tone, like a shout in the throat of a mile-deep cave. He swung his legs lightly, watching a bumblebee putter over a clover.

"Cut that out, why don't'cha?"

Suneo pitched forward in surprise, nearly toppling off the pipe. Clutching for balance, he cracked his head around to stare at Gian.

"That tappity thing," Gian said. "With yer feet. Cut it out. It's making the pipe buzz and it tickles."

Suneo's legs froze against the side of the pipe. The scorching metal began to sear through his stockings, but he kept his legs clamped tight against the pipes and motionless as concrete until, satisfied, Gian leaned back to rest his head on his arm. With the irate gaze no longer pinning him, Suneo relaxed, slumping. He nervously stretched his legs to press his heels against the pipe on the lower row, anchoring his restless feet down to prevent any further disturbances.

Without means of distraction, however, he began to notice all the miseries far more acutely. The buzz of cicadas became deafening. The air itself was hot and wet and thick as simmering soup. Gnats sifted through the air in milling clouds. Treefrogs chirped shrill and piercing. The sunlight bore down on everything, giving trees and grass and sidewalks a blinding halo. Suneo wormed around uncomfortably. His shirt felt as though it were glued to his back, and his shorts felt as though they had been shrink-wrapped to his legs.

He squinted into the shade. Nobita had fallen promptly asleep, and had he not been honking out snores one would have dismissed him as dead. Shizuka also dozed, her hands resting delicately on her knees. Doraemon sagged against the knotted tree trunk and stared groggily into the distance as if expecting something.

In the lull, a crisp crackling noise sounded. Suneo looked over his shoulder to see Gian crumpling the lollipop wrapper in his fist. Upon consideration, Gian crushed the paper, rolled it between his fingers into a wad, and flicked it with his thumb at Suneo. The paper's flight likely would have continued for a mile or so had it not been clipped out of the air by Suneo's shoulder.

Huffily, Suneo swiped the ball and commenced thrusting it into his pocket, but as he reached down, a familiar scent made him pause. The tangy, fruity aroma of artificial cherry funneled sweet and syrupy into his nose, and without thinking, he smoothed out the paper and held it against his face. The wax wrapper rustled, and the sticky residue of candy made a pleasant rattling noise. Suddenly, Suneo wanted nothing more than a lollipop. The tart sweetness of cherry practically melted in his mouth already. He swallowed, clutched the paper between his fingers, and swung to face Gian so quickly that he nearly windmilled off the pipe. Gian choked on the lollipop.

"Gian!" Suneo began, but upon sighting the glint in Gian's eyes, shrank back and decided that a change of tone was in order. "Um... Gian? Buddy? I know that sucker is yours, but, you know, it looks pretty good. You wouldn't mind giving me a taste, would you?"

Gian maneuvered the lollipop over his tongue and into the pocket between his cheek and teeth. He stared at the sky, watching birds struggle to fly in the heat. He reached up, pinched the lollipop stick, and popped the candy from his mouth. White teethmarks already pocked the cherry globe.

"You want some of it, huh?" With no resistance, Gian extended the shiny lollipop to Suneo, who had to hook his fingers around the lip of the pipe to keep from pitching headfirst onto the ground in surprise. He stared at the lollipop and watched a string of spit gather at the bottom of the stick before oozing down onto Gian's fist.

Just as he reached out and unfurled his fingers, millimeters away from closing them around the stick, Gian snapped his hand back like a slingshot, leaving Suneo to curl his fingers around empty air. Dazed, Suneo watched his hand, and flexed his fingers to ensure they were still attached.

Gian fell back and laughed, reminiscent of a mountain shaken by an earthquake. Suneo drew up his shoulders, looking like a sulky cat.

"I thought we were going to share," he said, his voice suspiciously resembling a whine. "Sharing is caring, after all."

Gian appeared to consider this. As if for conformation, he glanced down at Shizuka. She barely opened her eyes.

"It is nice to share," she said.

Gian turned back to Suneo with the air of a dog which had just been swatted with a newspaper. He mulled over the idea for a moment, chewing on it as though it were a gob of taffy. Finally, he stretched out his arm, gesturing to Suneo with the lollipop as if it were the ruby scepter of a king descending to knight a noble subject.

"Here. You can have it for a minute. But you better give it back," he added in warning. "It's still mine."

Suneo suspiciously regarded the proffered lollipop clutched in the ham of a fist, before squinting at Gian. Then, he slung his arm forward, swiped the lollipop, and leaned back out of range of flailing limbs. Once satisfied that pursuit was out of the question, he rearranged himself on the rim of the pipe, hunched over as if guarding his last meal, and examined the lollipop.

Threads of crystal sugar crisscrossed in sour veins within the candy and sparkled under a generous layer of slobber. Suneo glanced over his shoulder at Gian. Gian stared back, solid and motionless as a boulder. Suneo quickly turned around, drew up his shoulders defensively, and lifted the lollipop to tentatively give it a swipe with his tongue.

A warm, sour flavor pooled through his mouth, thick as molasses and tingling pleasantly. The side of the lollipop was chipped and rough with toothmarks, and when Suneo scraped it against his teeth, little slivers of the candy flaked loose and melted in his mouth. The tangy taste of cherry coated his tongue in a sugary film.

The longer he idly rubbed the lollipop over his tongue, the more it became a soothing motion. His eyes began to shut, and he slouched lower and lower until his hand hung limply from the lollipop stick and the ball of candy stayed clamped between his teeth. The summer ambiance became a distant buzz.

He didn't know how long he had been dozing when abruptly he woke up. He blinked away the hard kaleidoscope of gray that swirled in his eyes. His hand was sticky, and the lollipop burned his tongue where it had rested. He started and popped the lollipop from his mouth.

It wasn't until a second later that he realized Gian was staring at him. Gian's jaw hung slack, making him look rather like a gorilla considering how to retrieve a banana secured behind glass. Suneo felt like laughing, but the laughs clogged in throat behind the spit and lollipop slime. He swallowed.

"I _said _to give it back." Gian held out his palm flat with all the anticipation of someone about to be bestowed a crisp hundred dollar bill. Suneo leaned over and squinted at Gian's hand. When Suneo's nose neared two inches away, Gian's fingers locked into a sturdy fist that he pressed against Suneo's chin.

"You got five seconds to hand it over, you little snitch." To punctuate every word with emphasis, Gian shoved his knuckles more firmly against Suneo's chin, nearly lifting him from his seat. Suneo squeezed one eye shut.

"I was giving it back," he said in a a placating tone. Gian pried the lollipop from Suneo's hand, where the stick was practically glued. Huffily, he gave Suneo one final push that sent him reeling for balance, and returned to his lollipop. Just as he prepared to stuff the candy into his mouth, he froze, scowled, and bent forward to examine it as though it held the clues to the meaning of life.

"What're you try'na _do_?" Gian said suddenly. He swung around and brandished the lollipop. Suneo stopped smoothing wrinkles from his shirt and cowered, angling his arms above his head to ward off impending blows. When none landed, he slowly lowered his arms.

"What do you mean, 'what am I trying to do'?" he said with a glare that was both incredulous and irritated. "I didn't do anything. I was just sucking on it––what else was I supposed to do with it? Mop the floor? Play hopscotch?"

"Why'n'cha cut the sass? I'm talking about _this_." Before Suneo could blink, Gian thrust the lollipop into his face and pressed it against his nose. Suneo's eyes crossed as he intently surveyed the lollipop. He nearly said that he couldn't find a blessed thing amiss about it when Gian reeled it back slower than a sloth wading through gelatin. Thin cobwebs of spit crisscrossed from the lollipop to the end of Suneo's nose.

"Oh. Um, that. Well, what was I supposed to do? I can go wash it for you if you want," Suneo said, although his tone clearly suggested that he would rather rinse the candy in sewage bilge before returning it. Gian bent closer and Suneo shrank back like a cravenly turtle.

"I don't want no more drool on my candy, got that? If I'm sharing with you, I want my property give' back in better shape than when I lent it out." With a flourish that would have made a dark caped magician envious, Gian popped the lollipop into his mouth. He sucked on it a couple of times until his cheeks hollowed, and presently he froze. A strange expression crossed his face, as though he had just been struck by an existential crisis.

With an askew glance at Suneo, Gian swung the lollipop stick from one side of his mouth to the other, back and forth. Suneo's eyes followed the shifting stick with mounting panic. He shifted anxiously, and his sweaty shorts made an interesting squeak over the slick metal. Gian's gaze sharpened, and Suneo felt as though he would melt right along with the cars that squatted under the sun. He swallowed, still feeling cherry in the back of his mouth.

Swiftly, Gian plucked the lollipop from his mouth, snapped his teeth together, and redirected his attention to Suneo. Suneo wondered whether he could currently relate to a strange new specimen of insect being inspected under a microscope.

He swung his heels for momentum and scooted back, ready to drop from the pipe, when a solid stone of a fist clutched at the back of his shirt. His collar tightened around his throat, and he cringed when the grip twisted.

"Mama _pressed _this shirt," he said. "It's starched."

Had Suneo said that the shirt was interwoven with the spun gold locks of Rapunzel and pre-washed in Aphrodite's tears, Gian would have been no more concerned. His fingers dug deeper, effectively tethering Suneo to the spot. Gian spared no time for Suneo to turn around on his own; he wrenched him closer until he turned, and with all the grace of a drunk man, hooked his arm around Suneo's shoulders and thrust the lollipop into his mouth.

Wide-eyed, Suneo remained motionless, his teeth clamped like a vise at the base of the lollipop. His thoughts slowed to a sludge, and for several moments, all that pertained to his existence was how the cherry stung the inside of his mouth where his teeth had nicked. As though he were scrubbing out a thermos, Gian scoured the lollipop through Suneo's mouth, gave his wrist a little twist, and pulled it loose with a _smack. _

Suneo sat dazed. His ears rang with a tinny sort of hum. Gradually, he became aware of the bewildered stares directed his way.

Doraemon sat tensed, ready to intervene. Shizuka had anchored her palm to the ground and twisted to look up at Suneo. Even Nobita peered groggily through his glasses. Suneo was stricken by the fleeting but powerful urge to run.

Hesitantly, he cornered his eyes at Gian, tightening up a bit in anticipation of a solid and unduly whaling. He cringed, shutting his eyes and crunching down to fold his arms over his vitals.

Seconds trickled by. Adrenaline drained, and Suneo suddenly felt indescribably tired and unconcerned. He cracked open one eye and glanced at Gian, and the aftertaste of cherry soured like vinegar in his mouth.

Gian was rolling the lollipop over his tongue, sucking noisily away as though it were ambrosia. Suneo winced at a particularly enthusiastic slurp, and sank lower down. He swore that half the time he was the only human in this unsophisticated troupe of monkeys.

"Um . . . is that . . . _good, _Gian?" Shizuka said. She cleared her throat and nervously played with the hem of her skirt.

Doraemon giggled. It sounded like a hiccup.

In response to Shizuka's question, Gian unplugged the lollipop from his mouth. Without turning to Suneo, he shot out his arm, his hand bumping to a halt a centimeter away from Suneo's face. Suneo's eyes crossed again, and he blinked before pushing Gian's hand away.

"Get your old smelly paw out of my face." Suneo pushed harder, then shoved with both hands, but Gian's sturdy arm didn't budge. After several attempts, Suneo sighed and slouched.

"Here. Take it," Gian said, as though Suneo had not just been trying to punch off his arm. "It's yer turn, so . . . ."

"I don't _want_ it," Suneo said. He locked his arms over his front and glowered at the lollipop.

"Yes, you do. You were looking at it earlier an' drooling like a bulldog. Take it," Gian urged. He poked the lollipop insistently against Suneo's mouth. Suneo sat like a stubborn baby refusing a spoonful of pureed carrots.

Shizuka watched the exchange with faint amusement. "Suneo," she said, a little smile quirking up her mouth, "go ahead and take it. It's polite to accept things when people offer."

Nothing except the demure chiding of Shizuka could have made Suneo relent. Staring wistfully at Shizuka, like a dog that had been locked outdoors in the rain, Suneo unwillingly opened his mouth. Gian pushed the lollipop between his teeth and, his work done, crossed his arms and leaned back. Suneo sulkily sucked on the diminishing hunk of candy, suddenly furious with the world. He cut a glance askance and saw that Nobita was agape.

Suneo shifted the lollipop to the other side of his mouth until it bulged in his cheek. "What are you looking at?" The nasty edge globbed behind the lollipop and muffled, losing its force. Nobita smothered a giggle against his palm and looked at Doraemon.

Doraemon's whiskers fuzzed like steel wool, and he bent over so quickly that his bell jangled. His paws shot up to press against his eyes, and his face glowed red like a neon sign.

Suneo froze. Realization clocked him in the head with all the force of a brick, nearly sacking him off the pipes. With a sharp breath, he tensed, squared his shoulders, reached up, and uncorked the lollipop from his mouth.

"You are disgusting!" he said, bristling like an angry cat. He didn't wait for Gian to take the lollipop; he drew back his arm like a rubber band and slung it with all the strength he could muster. It twirled through the air, catching the sunshine and gleaming innocently, before it cracked as loud as a gunshot against the concrete wall. Shards of candy exploded from the impact, scattering over the grass as fruit-flavored needles. They twinkled in the light as though what had just transpired was a game.

Everyone gaped. Four pairs of eyes shifted like marbles to focus on Suneo.

"What?" Suneo said. He edged back nervously, pressing his knees together. Bewildered glances burned from every direction.

Ever the voice of comfort, Doraemon tipped his head, smiled a benign sort of smile that seemed to nearly go around his face twice, and said, "It's all right. Don't worry. Suneo was just embarrassed because Gian liked––"

"Shut up!"

All heads swiveled from Doraemon to Suneo. Suneo sat like a clod, wondering for a minute if he really had screamed and whether it had reached several octaves above what he had intended. He stopped wondering when he returned to the matter at hand, and promptly smacked his hands over his face.

"I––I have to go. I forgot I was going shopping with Mama today!" He swung his legs once for momentum, slid off the pipes, and shot away as though he were nearing the final stretch of a marathon. Clover crushed under his feet, grasshoppers popped out of his path, and everyone listened to the _smep-smap _of his shoes snapping over the sidewalk.

With the solemn air of one approaching a casket, Gian lumbered toward the remains of his lollipop and knelt to inspect the crumbs. Little parades of ants had already discovered the wreckage and were presently toting away chunks of the candy. A sober minute passed. Gian stood, lifted his foot, and placed it neatly upon the parade. Candy crunched.

In a conspiratorial way, Nobita leaned over, angling his hand beside his cheek to shield his words.

"Hey, Doraemon . . . ?" he said in a whisper. "What just happened?"

Doraemon heaved a gear-grinding sigh as his head lolled.

"That, Nobita," he said, "is what happens whenever an opportunity for you to learn a good lesson comes up. Sometimes sharing just doesn't work out."

"Good," Nobita said happily, settling back against the tree. "I hate sharing, anyway."

* * *

><p><strong>Note: <strong>I will be honest here and say that I briefly considering titling this "Cherry-Flavored Smoocharoo." But I just. I couldn't bring myself to do it. I would cry.

To my dear friend: I am sorry this had to happen. May all subsequent prompts be less disgusting than this.


End file.
